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This report gives an overview of current and future (time horizon 2050) irrigation development in the Mediterranean environment. Moreover, the paper analyses the results of the most recent and advanced General Circulation Models for assessing the hydrological impacts of climate change on crop water requirements, water availability and the planning and design process of irrigation systems. Finally, a five-step planning and design procedure is proposed that is able to integrate, within the development process, the hydrological consequences of climate change.

Most of the world irrigation systems were developed on a step-by-step basis, over the centuries, and were designed for a long life (50 years or more), on the assumption that climatic conditions would not change in the future. This will not be so in the years to come due to the global warming and greenhouse effect. Therefore, engineers and decision makers need to systematically review planning principles, design criteria, operating rules, contingency plans and management policies for new infrastructures. In relation to these issues and based on available information, the report gives an overview of current and future (time horizon 2025) irrigation development around the world. Moreover, the paper analyses the results of the most recent and advanced General Circulation Models for assessing the hydrological impacts of climate variability on crop requirements, water availability, food security and the planning and design process of irrigation systems. Finally, a five-step planning and design procedure is proposed able to integrate, within the development process, the hydrological consequences of climate change | [A livello mondiale, la maggior parte dei sistemi di irrigazione è stata sviluppata gradualmente, nel corso dei secoli ed è stata progettata per lunghi periodi (50 anni o più) in base al presupposto che le condizioni climatiche non sarebbero cambiate in futuro. Questo non sarà più vero per i prossimi anni, per effetto del riscaldamento globale e dell'effetto serra. Perciò, i tecnici e i politici devono rivedere sistematicamente i principi di programmazione, i criteri di progettazione, le norme operative, i pianti di emergenza e le politiche di gestione per le nuove infrastrutture. In relazione a queste questioni e in base alle informazioni disponibili, il contributo fornisce una panoramica dello sviluppo presente e futuro (orizzonte temporale al 2025) dello sviluppo dell'irrigazione a livello mondiale. Inoltre, il lavoro analizza i risultati dei Modelli di Circolazione Generale più recenti e avanzati per determinare gli impatti idrologici della variabilità climatica sulle esigenze delle coltivazioni, la disponibilità di acqua, la sicurezza alimentare e il processo di programmazione e progettazione dei sistemi di irrigazione. Infine, viene proposta una procedura di programmazione e progettazione a cinque fasi, in grado di incorporare nel processo di sviluppo le conseguenze idrologiche del cambiamento climatico]

This book, which contains 13 separately authored chapters, has been developed from the ADAPT Project, focusing on the development of regional adaptation strategies to climate change and climate variability for water, food and the environment in river basins across the world. Chapter 1 describes a generic methodology for river basins (called the Adaptation Methodology for River Basins, AMR). Chapter 2 discusses the use of climate change scenarios as provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and, more specifically, how these scenarios can be used for regional studies. Chapters 3 and 4 describe in more detail the possible consequences of climate change and climate variability for food security and environmental quality. The application of the generic AMR methodology to 7 basin case studies in contrasting geographical areas of the world is presented in Chapters 5-11: Syr Darya (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan), Zayandeh (Iran), Rhine (Germany, Netherlands and France), Mekong (Yunnan (China), Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam), Volta (Ghana), Walawe (Sri Lanka), and Sacramento (California, USA), respectively. Chapter 12 integrates the findings of the basin studies and compares these findings with global trends in climate change related to food security. Finally, Chapter 13 gives a summary of the experiences encountered during the ADAPT project, and provides key findings that should be addressed in new regional adaptation studies. This book will be of interest to researchers in climatology, geography, ecology, agriculture, environmental studies and related disciplines. | Gift

International audience | Smallholder farmers, who mostly engage in low-value agriculture in the drylands of Northern Africa, were the first to have felt the effects of climate change, with threats to their livelihoods and food security. The increasing costs of agricultural production, poor water and energy infrastructure, loss of agricultural land due to urban expansion, fragmented resource management, and unsustainable management practices all contribute to this vulnerability to climate change. This highlights the urgent need for innovative practices in farming systems. Within the framework of the water-energy-foodecosystem nexus, this paper explores innovative practices in dryland farming systems, by assessing their impact on water, energy, food, and ecosystem through stakeholder perception. In this work, we aim to present a systems approach for assessing the resilience of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus in arid and semiarid regions. By using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, the study-which focuses on the Fès-Meknès region in Morocco-involves local actors to help researchers identify the key variables in order to assist farmers in their adaptation to climate change. The findings revealed different priorities between farmers and other stakeholders regarding the adoption of agricultural innovations. Farmers prioritize innovations that guarantee higher profitability and more market opportunities, such as integrating olive trees with cereal crops, by highlighting the importance of sustainable income sources. Meanwhile, stakeholders, such as researchers, engineers, government officials, and agribusiness entrepreneurs, prioritize innovations that emphasize high water use efficiency, which is crucial for the resilience of dryland farming areas: for instance, rainwater harvesting or the use of drought-resistant crop varieties that directly address the need for water conservation. But in doing so they are overlooking broader aspects within the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus.